


Thinking of You

by GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2015-02-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 19:12:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2593037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms/pseuds/GoldenBelleCherryBlossoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mr. Gold is married to Milah but ever since an unfortunate event years before their marriage has not been the same. In trying to repair his marriage, he meets a woman online who he emails back and forth hoping to seek advise. At first, all he wanted was someone to give him advice but each email has him forming a deeper connection to the woman on the other end even though he doesn't even know her name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coldness

_Dear DarkOne39,_

_I am sorry for the delay in replying to you. Ever since moving to this town it has been an uphill battle. My biggest obstacle has been my landlord; who shall remain unnamed. He always finds something wrong with my payments and comes into my shop. I wouldn’t mind so much if he wasn’t constantly harassing me with his inappropriate staring and sexual innuendos. I simply don’t know what to do. Also, I’m sure your wife would love the arrangement of flowers you were thinking about getting her. She is a very lucky woman. If only I could find a man as nice as you._

_Sincerely, BookGeek492_

Randall Gold stared at the email from his secret pen pal. She was obviously distressed by her situation but still took the time to think of his problems as well. He wasn’t sure if he had ever talked with someone so concerned for others first rather than themselves.

To think, a couple of years ago he would have never dreamed of wondering onto a chat room and yet he sat down one day and found this girl in as much need of companionship as he was. Things had not been going well with his wife, Milah, and he needed someone to confide in. He had no friends to speak to, having left most of them behind in Washington D.C. to move to Maine. Even then his best friend was his therapist.

With no children to speak of, he often was alone most nights while his wife went out with her friends from work. Night after night of this drove him to where he was now; sitting at his desk in the middle of the night, staring at his computer screen in a dark room.

“What a pig.” Randall whispered to himself as he reread the part about the woman’s landlord staring at her.

He started typing a reply to her email:

_BookGeek492,_

_Seems like you do have a problem on your hands. I wish I could come and help you in person but that would not solve your problems for long. It is probably best to ignore his advances and if they start going any further; call the police. Thank you for suggesting the flowers to me in the first place. My wife and I are still having problems but I believe I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. She seems to have cheered up lately but continues to go out each night. I feel like I am always talking about my love life. Are there any men you are interested in that are giving you trouble...Besides your landlord, of course?_

_DarkOne39_

With one last look over his email, he sent off the letter to her and shut his computer down. Randall looked around the room even though all he could see was the pitch black darkness surrounding the room. The house made no sounds and the weather was calm that night. A slight ringing in his ears was all he heard until he moved his cane to help him anchor himself up to stand.

Milah would not be due home for hours which he had learned to accept. He made his way out of the room and down the hall to the stairs next to the front door. His feet took him up each step at a slow pace and eventually had him stopping when he reached his room. Randall looked around this room but found the same darkness in there as in his study. He stripped off his suit and threw the pieces of clothing on the bench at the end of the bed and sat own on the edge of the mattress. He laid back with a sigh and was greeted by the coldness of the crisp sheets. He wished that another body was there to lie next to and talk to. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had slept in bed with him since Milah now preferred to either sleep on the couch or in the guest bedroom.

He wasn’t even sure he wanted her company anymore. Instead, he found himself craving the touch of a woman he had never met before but had had more meaningful conversations with than with his wife in the last few years.


	2. Sweets

Belle looked over the email from the man she had been sending emails to for months. She had no idea what he looked like or how his voice sounded so she made up an image of him in her head. He was most definitely handsome. His voice was probably deep as well. 

If he weren’t coming to her for advice on how to solve his marriage then she probably would have asked if they could meet by now. Belle had been in several relationships, the last one ending only a couple of months before, and yet she had never had the same level of honesty with her boyfriends as she had with the man in the emails. 

She read each sentence over again trying to decipher whether or not he was being truthful about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. His wife still was going out quite a lot. Too much, if you asked her. 

Belle looked over at the clock hanging above the entrance of her shop. It was about time for lunch and she was starving. Ruby came in just in time for her to go on break to Belle’s relief.

“I’m so glad you are here. I was about ready to eat one of the books if you had come in a second later.” Belle said as Ruby hung her coat on the hook next to the front desk.

“Relax, Belle. Have I ever let you down?” Ruby replied.

“Well…” Ruby was known to come in late if she had had a date the night before but Belle had never really minded. She wished the best for her friends even if it put a little extra burden on her.

Ruby slapped Belle’s arm. “Hey, I always call in if I am going to be late.”

“True. Well, I am going on my break. I will be back in an hour.” Belle said and slipped on her pea coat. 

“See ya!” Ruby yelled after her as she exited the shop.

Belle waved as she walked away and took a left towards the only place in town you could get a decent meal; Granny’s diner. Which, coincidently, was also owned by Ruby’s grandmother. 

Since moving to Storybrooke to get away from the city rush, Belle had become quite familiar with the town and all its residents. She had always lived in the city up until now so being able to walk through town in thirty minutes or less had at first shocked her. With time, she learned to love the town and settled down in the nice studio apartment above her book shop.

The neon sign of the diner came in to sight as Belle turned the corner and she could smell the scent of Granny’s homemade food. Though the weather was behaving at the moment, the cold air and cloudy atmosphere had her craving the sweet solace of tea and cinnamon buns. 

She walked into the diner and immediately went to the counter to order her lunch. She sat herself on the bar stool at the counter as she waited. Belle glanced around at the other diners and spotted a few people she knew but decided she preferred the company of a book at the moment. 

She took out a new mystery novel she had just gotten in at the store. She made it her business to always read a few of the new novels coming in so that she could recommend them to her customers. 

Just as she got into the book Granny came over with her order. “Here you go, Belle. Enjoy.” 

“Thank you, Granny.” She set aside her book for a second to take in the sight of the gigantic bun in front of her and the smell of cinnamon wafting up into her nose. She tore off the first bite and popped the piece in her mouth. A quiet moan rose up from her throat. She took a sip from her tea and picked up her book once again. 

In between sentences she ate her cinnamon bun and when she was finally done she had never felt so satisfied. She looked down at her watch and saw that still a half an hour remained for her break. She was delighted and decided to stay and read through her break. She ordered another cup of tea and leaned over her book so she could get properly absorbed into the novel.

Fifteen minutes later, just as she was about to get to a good scene, she was interrupted by Granny. Usually, Granny was as calm as anyone she had ever met and never said anything but kind words. However, a particular customer seemed to be bringing out Granny’s darker side.

“Just take your money and leave. You are making the customers anxious.” Granny said in a hushed but stern voice. Belle looked up from her book to see what was causing such a reaction in Granny. A man dressed impeccably in a suit of black stood in front of Granny and held a wad of cash and seemed to be counting it in slow and dramatic moves. 

“I was just making sure it was all there. Wouldn’t want another repeat of last month, now would we, dearie?” The man’s voice was accented and deep. He was not intimidated by the stare Granny was giving him and he continued to count before forcing the cash into the pocket of his pants.

“It was a simple miscalculation. Now if you don’t mind.” Granny made a shooing motion with both of her hands and he complied. He held up his hands in surrender and started moving out of the diner. He walked with a cane but that didn’t take away from the powerful strides he made across the diner.

“Just make sure it never happens again or I may see fit to raise the rent.” The man said as he made his way across the room while Granny followed him.

Belle continued watching just like everybody else as he walked. He was getting older judging by the gray hairs that were intertwined with the natural brown of his hair. Despite that, he was handsome in his own way. 

She twisted in her seat and just as he was about to pass her she lost her balance on the seat and started to fall off. By a miracle, the man had saved her from hitting her head on the tile and lifted her back up onto her seat. His grip on her waist was strong but gentle. She stared back at the man as he unhooked his arm from her.

“Thank you.” She said, her breath taken away by the intoxicating smell of his cologne. She ventured a smile at him and he returned it with the smallest twitch of a smile on his lips.

“It’s no matter.” He replied. He stood up straight and held out his hand. “I don’t believe we have met. My name is Mr. Gold.”

“Belle French” She said as she took his hand. She stared up at his face and she examined the strong jaw line and the exact shade of brown his eyes were. Her eyes darted to each feature until they landed last on his lips.

Just as she was about to release his hand he tightened his grip and raised her hand to his mouth. He gave her hand a gentle kiss and lowered her hand back down before letting go. 

“I hope we meet again, Ms. French.” He said and with barely a blink of an eye he was out the door.

Everyone had been staring at the encounter but no one came over to talk to her. She was absorbed in her thoughts, or better yet, lack of thought. Her skin tingled where his lips had kissed her hand. She stared at her hand and felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks. 

She turned away from the stares of other customers and stuffed her book in her purse before heading out. She headed out the door hoping for a glance of Mr. Gold but saw no sight of him. Without further delay, Belle made her way back to the shop in record speed and went to her computer in the back room without so much as a "hi" to Ruby.

She typed away at her email, not quite sure how she felt about what had just happened.

Dear DarkOne39,

Do you believe there is such thing as love at first sight?


	3. Discovery

Randall’s heart raced as he left the diner and quickly hid away from the world. Never had he exposed himself like that in front of other people. He was supposed to be intimidating and feared by everyone around him. Not the person he had just been in there.

He had no idea what came over him. When Belle French had fallen off her chair he felt himself race to catch her and when he did he had found an angel in his arms. He still remembered the deep brown color of her hair and the eyes of pure blue. 

He glanced around the corner of the alley he had hid away in and spotted Belle French coming out of the diner and looking both ways before rushing off down the street. His eyes lingered on the way her hair bounced as she walked. He shrank into the space so he continued to remain hidden but kept his eyes on her.

When she disappeared, he snapped out of his stupor and mentally slapped himself for his behavior. He had to remind himself he was married. His commitment was much more important than throwing everything away just for a one time fling. 

He straightened his suit out and returned back to society as if nothing he had done in the past ten minutes was unusual. He still had rent to collect and Granny’s was only the first of many.

 

Later as he locked away the money in the safe at his house he heard Milah come through the front door. He stepped out of his study and went into the kitchen to greet her. She was chugging furiously at the water in her glass as he entered. He always hated her habit of chugging everything she drank, including hard liquor.

“How was your day, Milah?” He tried saying as neutrally as he could in order to hide how he really felt about her habit.

She slapped the glass down on the counter and looked over to her husband. She didn’t even bother trying to smile at him. “I am leaving this house forever.”

“Well that is not exactly what I asked but, please, go on.” He said calmly even though he knew he should have been more devastated by her statement of abandoning their marriage. 

She scoffed and looked out the window to the garden. She raised her voice at him. “That is exactly it. You don’t care anymore!” 

His earlier calm started to wane once he heard her say that. “Don’t care?” He stood up and stalked over to her; maintaining a few feet between them. “All I have been trying to do the last few years is care. But you go out each night getting wasted and don’t bother coming home until the sun starts to rise.” 

Her jaw dropped as he said each word. “Don’t blame me for this! You know I can’t stand to live in this house but, you insist upon us staying here.” 

“This is all we have left of him!” He shouted.

Milah went silent and tears started to well in her eyes. “I feel like we can never move on. I know you blame me for what happened to our son.”

“It was both of our faults.” He thought back and started to relive every emotion he felt that day. He should have done more.

“Both of us know that isn’t true.” She wiped away a tear that had fallen. He didn’t make a move to try and comfort her. There was nothing he could do to help her. “We both also know this isn’t going to work anymore. I know you are lonely and so am I.” She closed the gap between them and placed a hand on his shoulder. “This is for the best.”

He nodded his head. “I really did try, Milah.” He said softly.

“I know but I see so much of him in you that every time I look at you I am reminded of my mistakes.” She kissed him on the cheek and turned away to walk out of the room.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked as she was about to leave. He didn’t even look at her. He kept his attention on a single spot on the floor.

She gripped the doorway as if she needed it for support and only turned her head. “No, but I need some type of change.”

And with that she was out the door.

In the following days, Randall didn’t leave the house as to avoid the gossip around town. He was sure the news had gotten out by now and he wasn’t ready to face the world. Instead he broke things.

A tea set, some sculptures, really anything that seemed to annoy him.

All the time and effort he put in to trying to repair his marriage had been all for nothing. Though he couldn’t blame his wife, he still hated how she had just left him without even trying to reconcile first. 

He didn’t do much else besides sulk and break valuable items. He didn’t sleep. He didn’t eat. He didn’t once open up his email to see if there was a message from her. 

On the fourth day, he awoke from a brief nap and started to feel the bleeding scars of his heart start to heal. An emotion reminiscent of forgiveness started to enter into his body. He looked around the living room which was now littered with broken glass and didn’t feel the need to break something.

He stood up and stretched out his aching back. He had no idea what time of day it was. He had smashed the grandfather clock in his fury but he didn’t care much about time at the moment.

He made his way to his study and thought it was time he read his emails. He was sure he had a million by now. He woke up his computer and scrolled through his list of messages. 

One from his lawyer, a few from contractors and a million more from his skittish real estate agent who barely knew how to do his job. The ones that popped out the most to him were all from his pen pal.

She had emailed him each day over the last four days, including one from this morning. He started with the one from four days ago.

Dear DarkOne39,

Do you believe there is such thing as love at first sight? To answer your question about my love life; if you were to have asked me yesterday I would have said there was nobody but today I believe there is a different story to tell.

There is a man that came in today while I was having lunch and even though I had never met him before I found myself drawn to him. I embarrassed myself in front of him by nearly falling out of my seat but he actually caught me before I fell. I can’t believe how much of a klutz I am. However, he seemed not to mind and he kissed my hand.

I must sound silly. The kiss was probably nothing more than a polite gesture. I still can’t get him out of my mind though…

Sincerely,

BookGeek492

He found something oddly familiar about the events she described but his mind was still too blurry to make anything click. He clicked on the next email.

Dear DarkOne39,

I have been thinking about it all day and night and I have come to the conclusion that my encounter with that man yesterday must have just been an innocent gesture between two people who have just met.

He did say we would meet again so next time I will try and pay closer attention and determine whether or not I am just attracted to him or if I was simply caught up in the moment.

Sincerely,

BookGeek492

She sure is an interesting woman, he thought. He wondered if all women thought this way. He clicked to the next email.

Dear DarkOne39,

I see you have been away for a while and forgive me for writing so much. I’m sure you will think I am crazy for not just waiting for a simple reply.

However, I feel much better when I write to you. I have been trying to spot this man I met around town but a terrible rumor about him has just been spread around town. Apparently he was married but his wife has just left him. No one has seen him since.

I am worried about him. He must be going through such a rough time. Perhaps he could use some cheering up? I think I give good advice after having practiced so much with you. Maybe I could stop by his place to see if he is still alive tomorrow during my lunch hour.

Would he think I am a stalker or something even worse?

I will think it over,

BookGeek492

The puzzle pieces started to click in his head as he read this email and then clicked back to the first one. Everything she had described resembled exactly how that day had gone. It couldn’t possibly be a coincidence. The woman he was been emailing must be Belle French. He slumped back in his chair and started laughing. 

“This has got to be a joke.” He said between each laugh. This definitely was a small world. The woman he had been wishing was in his bed for the last few months happened to live only a few streets down from him and he had never even thought about it. 

Once his laughter had settled down he clicked on the final email from her.

Dear DarkOne39,

I have decided that it wouldn’t be any harm to stop by his house and at least sniff around to see if any dead body smells is coming from inside his house. No one else in town seems to want to do it. He must not be on good terms with most people.

If you think this is a bad idea then email me back before twelve o’clock or else I am going to take your silence as a sign of approval.

I will be waiting,

BookGeek492

Randall looked around frantically for a clock as he read the last sentence of her email. She wanted to come to his place and he was in no shape or form to greet anybody let alone the woman he thought was an angel upon first encounter. 

He found the clock that was situated over the fireplace and it told him it was 11:58 AM.

“Shit.” She would have probably left work by now which left him no time to do anything.

He scrambled up from his seat and in the process bumped his ankle hard against the wood of his desk. He spat out profanities as he limped even more than usual across the room and into the living room. 

He swore again when he saw the mess and made his way to the window. He hid himself behind most of the curtain before taking a small peek out the window to see if Belle was indeed outside sniffing around for dead bodies. He was sure he smelled close to one by now.

A car drove up in front of his house just as he started doubting she would actually come. His heart started racing even though he couldn’t see who was in the car. The door opened and his heart sped up even more.

Then there she was;

BookGeek492


	4. Antiques

Belle’s palms were sweating against the leather of the car wheel as she drove over to the infamous Mr. Gold’s house. Her stomach was in knots and she was becoming unsure of her decision with each corner she turned.

“I can’t believe I am doing this.” Belle said aloud as she looked once again at the map that had Mr. Gold’s house marked on it.

She had never thought she would be doing something like this; going to a man’s house that she had only spoken to once and very briefly at that. She could not explain her behavior. But, she knew it was the right thing to do.

As she pulled up in her run down, powder blue station wagon she gave herself a final pep talk and confidently exited the vehicle. There was no going back at this point so she took each step one at a time; harnessing all the will power she could.

She looked at the house that really should have been called a mansion. The house stood out more than any other on the street due to its massive size. Though the walls were painted pink the house still seemed to have a certain shadow over it. She looked around the impeccably mowed lawn and then up the steps to the stained glass front door. 

So far there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary. No smell either. 

That was a good sign.

She walked up onto the driveway and made her way to the gravel path leading to the steps. She looked at the front windows for any sign of movement from within the house but spotted nothing and continued to make her way to the front door.

Each wood board creaked under her step as she ascended the stairs. Her heart beat became more rapid as the distance between her and the front door became closer. She looked back at her car thinking she could just run away and forget this ever happened. She told herself to be brave and finally came within knocking distance of the front door.

Before she had the chance to knock the door swung open to reveal Mr. Gold. The suddenness of the action left her stunned for a second but she tried to compose herself. 

She noticed the state of him first. Though sporting a few days’ worth of scruff, his suit was as perfectly ironed as the day that she had met him. But his eyes showed that he hadn’t slept in days. She couldn’t blame him for that. She wasn’t sure how she would have handled herself if she was in his situation.

“Ms. French, what brings you here today?” He asked. His voice was not weak but it started to betray just how tired he was.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. “Well,” She had hardly thought through what she was going to say so she decided to wing it. “no one has seen you around in days and I could see people were starting to get worried so I volunteered to come down and see if you were okay.” That was probably the worst excuse she could have come up with. Even she knew the town’s people could care less about what went on with him unless it was riddled with some type of scandal.

He barked out a small laugh. “Ms. French, I believe we both know that they could care less. But, I assume that the rumor of my wife leaving me has gotten around town.” It wasn’t a question. He knew exactly how this town worked.

Belle hesitated for a second and nodded her head. “Yes, I was sorry to hear it.”

He tapped his cane against the tile of his front entrance. “It is unfortunate but sometimes it is for the best.”

“I’m glad to see you are on the mend so fast.” She pointed out.

“When you are as old as I am, you learn not to dwell on too many things.”

She was taken aback by his indifference to the events of the past few days but suspected it was all part of his act. 

“Do you read, Mr. Gold?” She asked.

He raised his eyebrows at the question which seemed to come out of nowhere. “Quite often, actually.”

“I brought a book for you. I just got it in at my shop and thought you would enjoy reading it.” She dug out the book from within her purse and held it out to him. He didn’t take it and instead stared down at the cover.

“Don’t tell me it is a book about how to get over your wife leaving you.”

She laughed under her breath but realized how rude it was and tried passing it off as a cough. She must have not been convincing enough since he smirked at her. “No, I don’t believe I carry such a book at my store. I brought this book about antiques that I thought you would like.” He took the book now from her hands and started to flip through some of the pages. “I know you own a pawn shop and I heard it was more of a hobby for you.”

“That is very observant of you.” He commented still flipping through the book.

“When you live in a town as small as this you tend to notice the small details.” She shrugged. He seemed to like the book and put it under his arm. 

“How much do I owe you?” 

She shook her hands at him. “Nothing at all; this is on the house.”

“So you only came by today to give a poor, old man a book?”

“No. I wasn’t lying when I said someone was worried about you.” 

She looked down at the floor and mustered a smile at him for a brief second. She waited for his reply but nothing came. She looked up again and was pleased to find that a small smile had risen on his face. She smiled back more confidently at him and took a small step closer.

“I know what you are going through is hard…” She started saying in a soft tone. “but if you ever need someone to talk to please don’t hesitate to come to me.” 

“Thank you for the offer but I don’t need help.” Even for a heart broken man he still has so much pride.

She stepped away still wearing a smile on her face. “We will see about that. Have a good day, Mr. Gold.” 

She started making her way down the stairs when she heard him say so softly that she barely even heard him; “Goodbye, Belle.” The click of the door closing sounded just as she turned her head around to get a one last glimpse of him.


	5. Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for lack of updates. School really doesn't give much time for me to do much else. I will try harder in the future but for now have a new chapter!

Randall slumped against the door as he listened for Belle’s car to pull away. The book in his hand felt like a hundred pounds and his head had started to ache from lack of food and proper hydration. 

He couldn’t believe how much had happened in the past few days. First his wife, then the girl who had made his heart skip a beat at the first glance of her turned out to also be his pen pal. He wasn’t entirely sure what to do about any of this new information.

First thing was first however, he had to call someone to clean up the mess he had made. 

He flipped through his phone book and called up the first cleaning service on the page. Luckily, they were available right away and said they would be over in the next twenty minutes. With that, he made his way into the kitchen, his ankle still hurting from the fiasco earlier in his office and looked around in his fridge for something to eat. 

The milk had gone bad, so had the eggs probably… 

He realized he really didn’t have much in his fridge once he had vetoed everything that was slightly edible. His freezer proved to be even more bare save for a carton of half eaten ice cream and a microwaveable meal that he couldn’t remember buying.

“God, this is pathetic.” He mused to himself.

Though Milah didn’t cook often, she had been in charge of stocking things in the fridge. This had almost stopped immediately after the disappearance of their son. Most nights Randall would get delivery so he hadn’t even noticed when Milah had stopped making her weekly trips to the store. Perhaps he hadn’t tried as hard as he thought he had been… 

With his headache getting worse by the minute he decided the best he could do was to at least get some water in his system. Four days of binge drinking scotch had not been kind to his liver.

The doorbell chimed just as he finished his second glass of water. He let the team of people in and he showed them the mess. Thankfully, no questions were asked and he left them to handle the rest while he took his shower and dressed.

 

By the time he had returned downstairs, the cleaning crew was almost done. They worked fast and bagged all the glass to be put into the dumpster and had the room looking as if nothing had ever happened minus a few trinkets and a broken clock.

He tipped them generously for the short notice and saw them out before grabbing his own key so he could make the grueling trip to the grocery store. 

There didn’t seem like anything less intimidating than going shopping for food, but Randall felt like he had just stepped onto a whole other planet. Millions of people swarmed around him as they hurriedly picked up items for dinner.  
Had it always been like this? He couldn’t remember. He had been to the grocery store a couple of times with his son, but back then everything was simpler. 

He held onto the cart and pushed forward with all his might. Randall had no idea what he would buy. He started out in the produce section and grabbed a few lemons and some broccoli, which he couldn’t remember if he liked, but he thought he should probably start eating. 

He scratched his forehead and wondered where to go next. He must have looked like a lost puppy because right at that moment he felt a tap on his shoulder. 

“Do you need any help? You look a little lost.” The sweet voice said from behind his shoulder. He knew immediately who is was and couldn’t help to smile that went to his lips as he turned around.

“Ms. French, long time no see.” Though only a few hours had passed, it seemed like forever since he had last looked into those eyes.

She giggled at him and shifted her basket to her other arm. “Yes, we seem to be seeing a lot of each other lately. Though this is probably the last place I would have expected to see you.”

“Do I not look like the type of man to do his own shopping?”

“Well normally I would say no, but you look a little too lost for me to not think so.”

Her honesty took him aback for a second then he quickly remembered who exactly he was talking to. “Fair enough, to tell you the truth, I can’t quite remember the last time I was in here.”

She smiled at him with sympathy and glanced into his cart. “Well at least you didn’t go straight for the junk food.”

He peered away to his cart and scratched the back of his head in a nervous gesture. “I’m not even sure what I like so I just choose whatever I saw first.”

“If you want my advice, just start simple and go from there. You can’t always expect restaurant quality when cooking for yourself.”

He nodded. “I guess a hot meal is as much as I can hope for. Any suggestions on what I should buy?”

Belle motioned for him to start walking and he followed next to her. She pursed he lips and looked around the store a little before turning back to him. “I usually just keep basics like eggs, milk and flour then, get some meat and vegetables, perhaps the occasional treat, but otherwise I don’t keep much around. I don’t have the luxury of eating a lot since I just opened up shop.”

“I remember those days quite well when I was starting out in the business world.” Randall replied, remembering when he was young and optimistic.

“The budget is quite unforgiving but I manage to stick to it. I’m sure you don’t have that problem now though judging by what happened in Granny’s last week.” She raised he eyebrow and smiled at him in challenge. He wasn’t quite sure how comfortable he felt at the moment.

He wanted to loosen the tie around his neck but resisted the urge. “That usually doesn’t happen. Granny and I just like to push each other’s buttons from time to time.”

“I see.” They approached the meat counter and Belle helped him pick out some chicken and beef and they quickly moved on.

The rest of the grocery trip went better, their conversation jumping from books to recipes and some questions about Belle’s shop, even the landlord of hers that she had some trouble with. They were just about to check out when he got brought up into the conversation. 

“My landlord, he is nice, but sometimes too nice, if you get what I mean.” Belle said as she stacked her purchases onto the counter for the cashier to ring up.

“I believe I understand, but I wish I didn’t. Have you tried talking to him about his behavior?” He asked; waiting in line right behind her.

A single laugh came out of her mouth and she shook her head. “You must not know Gaston if you think that he will simply stop if I talk to him.”

Belle paid for her items and now it was his turn. Belle helped bag his items and put them into his cart as he waited to pay. He was truly baffled by how nice she was acting towards him. Then he remembered that first email she sent him after her encounter with him in the diner. Love at first sight? He couldn’t quite believe such a young and beautiful woman would want him. Then again she did say it…

The cashier had to call his name to get his attention back to accept the charges. In a fluster, he pressed the small “Yes” on the credit card machine and took his receipt. 

Belle waited patiently for him as he maneuvered his cart out of the small walk way to the sliding doors. “Do you think you will be all right for a while?” Belle asked him as they walked out to the parking lot.

“Yes, I believe so…” He said, still flustered from his thoughts from earlier.

“I know you said earlier that you don’t need help but my offer still stands. It was nice shopping with you.” She waved good bye and started walking away.

Before he knew what was happening he stepped forward and called her name. She turned back and without thinking asked; “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

Once his brain caught up to his mouth, he wished he had never said anything in the first place.


End file.
